To the untrained eye it might seem like just ...

To the untrained eye it might seem like just a bit of a monkey trick. But when Milly the mandrill (山魈, 西非洲产的大狒狒) covers her face with her hand she is actually sending a serious message to her fellows: “Leave me alone!”

Experts believe the 15-year-old mandrill invented the gesture to warn other monkeys at Colchester Zoo to give her some space. And, surprisingly, the signal has been picked by other members of the group, who use it when they too require solitude.

Biologist Mark Laidre believes the behavior is evidence of social culture among the mandrills. Importantly, the sign language is unlikely to have been influenced by human activities because mandrills do not copy humans. Mr. Laidre expects further research will uncover other monkeys using cultural gestures — the ability to communicate with the hands in a meaningful way. “By covering their eyes with their hands, possibly conveyed to others that they wanted to be left alone and this message may have been respected as a ‘do not disturb’ sign,” said Mr. Laidre.

While the hand is in place, other monkeys are not likely to approach or touch the monkey. Those who rank lower in the social order also use the technique to avoid attacks from more powerful group members. As the discovery appears to be unique to Colchester Zoo, it suggests it is a local phenomenon that arose naturally in the community of 25 mandrills.

Curator （园长） Sarah Forsyth said: “We believe Milly made up the signal and over the past five years some of the younger mandrills have picked it up. We’re not sure why she started doing it but it could be as simple as ‘I can’t see them, so they can’t see me’. It really does show you how intelligent mandrills are.”

1. What’s the text mainly about?

A. How humans influenced monkeys.

B. A monkey invented a gesture.

C. A new social culture was discovered.

D. How experts made the new discovery.

2. What does the underlined word “solitude” in the second paragraph mean?

A. Aloneness.　　　　 B. Comfort.

C. Protection.　　　　 D. Respect.

3. According to Mark Laidre, _____.

A. human activities affect mandrills’ sign language

B. animals are slow in picking up information

C. mandrills’ social culture has nothing to do with humans

D. mandrills are the largest species of monkey in the world

4. The monkeys can also use the “do not disturb” sign to _____.

A. protect themselves from being harmed

B. struggle against more powerful group members

C. show humans how intelligent they are

5.What can be known from the text?

A. Milly invented the gesture when she was 15.

B. Mandrills are best known for their social ability.

C. Why Milly first used the sign language is known to experts.

D. Only the mandrills in Colchester Zoo use the gesture.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Athletes who can run several marathons in just months might seem unstoppable.The biggest obstacle，it turns out，is their own bodies.A new study find out for the first time a “ceiling” for endurance activities such as long­distance running and biking.

“Physiologists and athletes alike have long been interested in just how far the human body can push itself.When exercising over a few hours，a wealth of evidence suggests most people max out at about five times their basal metabolic(代谢的)rate(BMR)．How humans use energy during longer endurance activities is another question entirely，”says Herman Pontzer，an evolutionary theorist at Duke University，North Carolina.

Pontzer saw an opportunity to answer that question when Bryce Carlson，an endurance athlete and former biochemist at Purdue University，organized the Race Across the USA in 2015.Runners covered 4，957 kilometers over the course of 20 weeks in a series of marathons stretching from Los Angeles，California，to Washington，D.C.

To find out how many calories the athletes in the study burned，Pontzer，Carlson，and colleagues replaced the normal hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water with harmless，uncommon isotopes(同位素)of those elements.By chemically tracing how these isotopes flush out in urine，sweat，and breath，scientists can calculate how much carbon dioxide an athlete produces — a measure that directly relates to how many calories they burn.

Pontzer's team then collected energy consumption data over the course of the race to see how many calories they burned per day.They found that whatever the event is，energy consumption leveled off after about 20 days，eventually staying at a steady level at about 2.5 times an athlete's BMR.At that point，the body is burning calories more quickly than it can absorb food and turn it into energy，representing a biologically determined ceiling on human performance.

“It was just one of those moments of discovery that as a scientist you just live for，” Pontzer said.“We ended up plotting out the very limits of human endurance，the envelope for what humans can do.”

1.What does the underlined word “ceiling” in the first paragraph refer to?

A.The weakness of human bodies.

B.The effect of lasting exercise.

C.The way humans use energy.

D.The limit of human endurance.

2.Which of the following is a direct measure of an athlete's energy consumption?

A.The hydrogen and oxygen in their drinking water.

B.The carbon dioxide their bodies create.

C.The amount of their urine，sweat and breath.

D.The remaining isotopes in their body.

3.What is the purpose of Pontzer's study?

A.To confirm that an athlete's physical extreme is mainly determined by his BMR.

B.To compare human limits in common exercise with those in endurance activities.

C.To find out where the highest energy consumption of an athlete lies.

D.To set a reasonable standard for researches concerned with human body

4.How did Pontzer feel when their study results came out?

A.Excited. B.Regretful.

C.Surprised. D.Hopeful.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

It looked to all the world like something that might have graced the cover of a 1950s comic book. On September 28th, on a warm Texas evening, Elon Musk, the boss of SpaceX, a rocketry firm, introduced his company's newest machine, Starship Mkl. It stands 50 metres tall and is made from shiny plates of stainless steel. Despite its name, it is not in fact an interstellar （恒星之间的） spacecraft. But it is a prototype （雏形）of an interplanetary one. Mr Musk hopes, one day, to use its successors to ferry passengers to the Moon or to Mars — or perhaps even, according to one piece of SpaceX concept art, all the way to Saturn （土星）.

In the 17 years since its founding, SpaceX’s cheap, reusable machines have revolutionised the rocket business. The firm's ukra-low prices have seen it seized a dominant share of the commercial satellite-launching market. Along with Boeing, an American aerospace giant, SpaceX is responsible for ferrying supplies to the International Space Station, It may soon fly astronauts there as well. But all of this commercial success is merely a necessary first step in Mr Musk’ bigger plan, which is to make humanity into a "niultiplanetary species" by establishing colonies in the universe.

That is where the Starship comes in. The prototype on display in Texas is only one half of an enormous rocket stack designed with planetary colonisation in mind. When paired with a Falcon Super Heavy booster （助推火箭），which is also being developed, the result should be able of lifting around 150 tonnes into orbit. That would make it the most powerful rocket ever built, superior to the Saturn V, which sent astronauts to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s. And unlike the Saturn V, whose three stages were abandoned to the sea or to space as their fuel was used up, the Starship and its booster will be reusable which should keep costs down.

It is a bold plan. Mr Musk's shorter-term plans are bold too. Besides designing a new spaceship and booster, SpaceX engineers are busy working on a new. more efficient engine to power them. Called Raptor, it is designed to bum super-cold methane rather than the kerosene that fuels the company's current Merlin engines. The Starship will sport six Raptor engines. But each Super Heavy booster will need somewhere between 24 and 37. The result will be a repairman's nightmare.

Mr Musk has said, perhaps optimistically, that a Starship prototype might be ready for a test flight all the way to orbit (although without its booster stage) within six months. That would be of a piece with its crazy development schedule. The traditional rocket-building industry is used to generous government contracts that are about job creation as much as rocket creation. However, SpaceX has adopted a different approach, closer to the rapid-fire development practices of the software industry.

The Starship prototype, for instance, was put together in a matter of months. It was built out in the open, rather than in a carefully controlled factory environment. The firm has two teams competing against each other to produce the best design,

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.Starship Mkl VS Satum V

B.Development of space travel

C.A promising company in the rocket business

D.Starship Mk 1, a new kind of rocket in a sense

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A.Starship Mkl was designed to beat Boeing and dominate the market.

B.SpaceX aims to realize interplanetary travel and set up space colonies.

C.SpaceX is not dependent on the government's contracts to expand its business.

D.Starship Mkl beats Satum V in that it is recyclable, cost-saving and more powerful.

3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Repairmen hate working with a powerful rocket.

B.The special fuel is in great demand and not always available.

C.Ifs no easy job to equip the rocket with the engines needed.

D.Too many engines may bring about great trouble once going wrong.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It sounds like the perfect end to a long, hard day at work. But sitting in front of the TV might make you feel worse _____ better.

A. other than　　　 B. less than

C. or rather　　　 D. rather than

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Helping yourself to a cup of coffee may seem like a small, everyday thing. But it is not the case if you are quadriplegic (四肢瘫痪). Quadriplegics have lost the use of all four limbs. Thanks to a project organized by John Donoghue of Brown University, in Rhode Island, and his colleagues, quadriplegics have hope.

One of the participants in his experiments, a 58-year-old woman who is paralyzed and unable to use any of her limbs, can now pick up a bottle containing coffee and bring it close enough to her mouth to drink from it using a straw. She does so using a thought-controlled robotic arm fixed to a nearby stand. It is the first time she has managed something like that since she suffered a stroke, nearly 15 years ago.

Arms are more complicated pieces of machinery than legs, so controlling them via electrodes (多波段电极) attached to the skin of someone’s scalp (头皮) is not yet possible. Instead, brain activity has to be recorded directly. And that is what Dr Donoghue is doing. Dr Donoghue and his team have had small, multichannel electrodes implanted in the parts of the motor cortexes (运动皮质) of participants’ brains associated with hand movements.

Dr Donoghue and his team decoded signals from their participants’ brains as they were asked to imagine controlling a robotic arm making present movements. The woman and other volunteers were then encouraged to operate one of two robot arms by thinking about the movements they wanted to happen. When the software controlling the arms detected the relevant signals, the arms moved appropriately. The arm that the woman used to help herself to a drink is a lightweight device developed by DLR, German’s Aerospace Centre, as part of its robotics program.

Dr Donoghue and his colleagues have thus shown that a mechanical arm can be controlled remotely by the brain of a person with paralysis. Controlling an arm that is attached to the individual’s body will be trickier, but in time even that may be possible. In the meantime, a robotic arm attached to a wheelchair will be a real soon.

1.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph3 refer to?

A.Controlling a robotic arm via electrodes attached to the scalp.

B.Recording the activity of brain and implanting electrodes.

C.Controlling a robotic leg via electrodes attached to the scalp.

D.Controlling a mechanical arm attached to the individual’s body.

2.Which statement may the author agree with?

A.Thanks to the research by Dr Donoghue and his colleagues, a paralyzed woman can get herself a drink.

B.The woman in the experiment drinks a bottle of coffee with a robotic arm attached to her scalp.

C.The woman is encouraged to control the mechanical arm by moving her body.

D.The robotic arm the woman used is remoted by DLR.

3.What’s the author’s attitude to the future of the robotic arm attached to quadriplegic?

A.Pessimistic. B.Objective.

C.Controversial. D.Optimistic.

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A.Quadriplegics can use the artificial limbs developed by Dr Donoghue and lead a good life by themselves.

B.The newly-developed thought-controlled robotic arms can help the paralyzed in their daily life.

C.Scientists have invented a kind of robotic arm attached to the individual’s body.

D.A quadriplegic can be on his feet again due to the new invention.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The day my fiancé fell to his death, it started to snow, just like the bottom hadn’t fallen out of my world when he fell off the roof. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up.

One morning, I shuffled(拖着脚步走) downstairs and was surprised to see a snowplow(扫雪机) clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room, and back upstairs so those good Samaritans would not see me. I was mortified. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair, let alone shovel someone’s walk.

Before Jon’s death, I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors. I defined myself by my competence and independence. How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch everyday and watch the snow fall?

Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn’t easy. Friends cooked for me and I cried because I couldn’t even help them set the table. “I’m not usually this lazy,” I swept. Finally, my friend Kathy sat down with me and said, “Mary, cooking for you is not a burden. It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you.”

Over and over, I heard similar words of comfort from the people who supported me during those dark days. One very wise man told me, “You are not doing nothing. Being fully open to your grief may be the hardest work you will ever do.”

In many ways I have changed for the better. I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole.

1.What made the author feel sad?

A. Her fiancé’s sudden death.            B. Constant heavy snow.

C. Her fiancé abandoning her.            D. Her job being refused again.

2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “mortified” in Paragraph 1?

A. Surprised.        B. Angry.         C. Ashamed.        D. Moved.

3.It is _______ that helped the author out of darkness.

A. herself          B. her friends      C. her fiancé        D. a snowplow

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. The author was a capable and independent woman.

B. The author was so lazy that she wouldn’t shovel the walk.

C. Finally the author got through hardest work bravely.

D. When facing the worst fear, you will get strength.

5.What’s the author’s purpose in the passage?

A. To talk about her hardest work in her life.

B. To talk about her real love between her and her fiancé.

C. To tell us to walk out of hardest work confidently and bravely.

D. To tell us the importance of friendship.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

With the summer holiday just around the comer, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some lips that can help you enjoy your holiday without emptying your pocket:

Travel off-season

Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and take advantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flight prices increase quickly, and you’ll likely spend more of your vacation time standing in line due to the rush of tourists. 1.

Eat like a local

Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experience something new? 2. During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. This will not just save money, but also provide you with a new and different experience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street food or other takeout.

3.

Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for places that do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Stay with the locals. If you and your family are going to 8tay for a longer period，renting a small apartment is a good choice.

Choose local transportation

4. Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are always cheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting a car. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you are moving around a lot.

Don’t hesitate to bargain

Tourist-heavy places are known for overcharging for just about everything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive at these places. 5. Bargain hard to get the best price.

A. Save on hotels.

B. Surf the Internet while traveling.

C. So it’s best to find out when the off-season starts.

D. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.

E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travel costs.

F. For this reason, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to ask for bargains.

G. As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, since they are expensive.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

With the summer holiday just around the corner, it seems like everybody is busy planning their vacations. Here are some tips that can help you enjoy your holiday without emptying your pocket:

Travel off-season

Go to your desired destination while the demand is low and take advantage of huge discounts. During the peak season, the hotel and flight prices increase quickly, and you’ll likely spend more of your vacation time standing in line due to the rush of tourists.1.

2.

Websites can help you find discount hotel rooms. Look for places that do not charge extra for children if they use the existing bedding. Stay with the locals. If you and your family are going to stay for a longer period, renting a small apartment is a good choice.

Eat like a local

Why eat at big chain restaurants when you can experience something new?3.During your family trip, try new food where the locals eat. This will not just save money, but also provide you with a new and different experience. For smaller meals and snacks, avoid restaurants and try street food or other takeout.

Don’t hesitate to bargain

Tourist- heavy places are known for overcharging for just about everything. Clothes, travel goodies, souvenirs, etc. are very expensive at these places.4.Bargain hard to get the best price.

Choose local transportation

5.Instead, take buses, railways or subways, which are always cheaper. If you are planning to stay for a while, you can consider renting a car. Hiring a car is much easier than carrying your bags everywhere if you are moving around a lot.

A. Save on hotels.

B. Surf the Internet while traveling.

C. Therefore, avoid buying anything there.

D. So it’s best to find out when the off-season starts.

E. Planning your meals is another way to reduce your travel costs.

F. For this reason, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to ask for bargains.

G .As a tourist, avoid taking taxis whenever possible, since they are expensive.

高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析

Stories of Animals Acting Just Like Humans

◆Monkeys do math

If monkeys manage the world, we might have stayed away from the recent banking hardship. In an experiment led by Keith Chen at Yale, monkeys showed an understanding of pricing and planning the money, as well as a wish to stay away from losses when required to buy food with money. Makes sense this one looks like it’s checking its stocks (股票) on a smart phone. Think that’s impressive?

◆Camel eats breakfast with people

The first time Joe ate with British farmers, he was uninvited. The four-year-old Bactrian camel stuck his head through their open kitchen window, and emptied a fruit bowl. Now the couple, who rent out reindeer, camels, goats, and other creatures for television shows, movies, and photo shoots, set a place at their table for the confident double-humped creature, where Joe eats grain food and his favorite: bananas on toast.

◆Marmots (土拨鼠) befriend a boy

A group of marmots in the Austrian Alps has made friends with eight-year-old Matteo Walch by chance, whose family vacations there in summer. Typically, they beat their tails, chatter, and whistle to warn other marmots of danger, but with Matteo, they behave much differently, allowing the boy to feed, pet, and even touch noses with them. “Watching them makes me feel a connection with nature,” says Matteo. How sweet!

1.In what way do monkeys behave like humans according to the text?

A.In character. B.In intelligence.

C.In communication. D.In the way of lifestyle.

2.Why do the British couple raise the animals?

A.To make money.

B.To have dinners with them.

C.To protect endangered animals.

D.To train them to act as humans.

3.Why did Matteo Walch go to the Austrian Alps?

A.To warn marmots of danger.

B.To develop interest in nature.

C.To make friends with marmots.

D.To go on a holiday with his family.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The celebration of National Hugging Day has moved beyond America’s borders. It seems the day might ____ and start in other countries.

A. hold on　　　　　　　 B. count on

C catch on　　　　　 　 D. take on

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析